Nikolay Davydenko: A lot of kids want to copy Nick Kyrgios' game-style

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Former world No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko claims a lot of young kids want to copy Nick Kyrgios' game-style and the only thing he can do is wish them a good luck. On Friday, six-time ATP champion Kyrgios pushed No. 3 seed Dominic Thiem into a tight five-setter.

Thiem, who finished runner-up at Melbourne Park last year, recovered from two sets down to beat Kyrgios 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4. "A lot of kids want to copy Nick's game style,'' Davydenko said while calling the match on Russian Eurosport.

"You warn them nothing good (in terms of results) would come out of it because Nick's game is unique. Still, many persist and all you can say is 'Good luck with that.'

Kyrgios was close to beating Thiem

The turning point of the match came in the first game of the third set, when Kyrgios failed to convert any of his two consecutive break points.

"If I take one of those break points in the 3rd set early I think the match is over in an hour and 45 minutes. I could definitely feel he was going away towards the end of the second. He was a bit rattled, and I played a heck of a first game in the third set," Kyrgios said after the match, per Ravi Ubha.

"I just missed a couple of balls by really nothing, you know. Maybe if I played more last year, maybe if I trained more, I make those balls, I'm not too sure.' ' Kyrgios will carefully think about his upcoming schedule. ''I can change like the wind.

I'm not too sure, depending on what happens with COVID in Australia, you know, I'm assuming we will probably settle it pretty quickly. But I don't know how I'll have to quarantine in overseas in tournaments," Kyrgios said. "For me personally, man, I'm used to playing in front of packed stadiumds.

I'm not gonna force myself around the world when the time is not right where I have to quarantine for a week and then play. I don't know, I'm not too sure what lies ahead.' '